Clipper boys blow by Milford

Wednesday

Jan 16, 2013 at 3:15 AM

By Mike ZHEPortsmouth Herald

PORTSMOUTH — When backup forward Colin MacDonald hit a baseline jumper with a little more than a minute to play Tuesday night, it marked the highest point total of the season for the Portsmouth High School boys basketball team.

All five starters watched the moment from the bench. They’d earned their fourth quarter off.

Ben Landry’s 19 points led five players in double figures for the Clippers, who improved their Division II record to 4-2 by running past Milford, 82-42, at Stone Gym, on the eve of Friday’s big showdown with Hollis-Brookline.

“I thought we were very good tonight, very unselfish, especially after the first quarter,” said Portsmouth coach Jim Mulvey.

Guard Travis MacDonald added 14 points for the Clippers, and guards Donovan Phanor and Zach Hansler, and Colin MacDonald all finished with 11.

“Everyone just had a knack for putting the ball in the net tonight,” said Phanor, who was also active on the defensive end. “We were doing it well. We just need to keep it up these next few days because Hollis-Brookline’s going to be a tough one.”

All in all, it was a good tune-up for the next one against Hollis, whose 5-1 mark includes a competitive loss to unbeaten Pembroke (61-51).

“They’re good,” said Mulvey. “I’ve scouted them. I saw them at the Christmas tournament in Nashua. They’re big and they’re veterans. They’re going to be a real test.”

Toward the end Tuesday, the only test left for the Clippers would be if they could top their season-high point total of 78, though they did put up 85 in a holiday tournament game against St. Thomas that didn’t count in the standings.

Like it does so often when the Clippers are in sync, much of the offense was generated by defense. When the Spartans’ Mitch Banuskevich hit a transition 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, it was his team’s first field goal of the quarter.

Ahead 28-17 at the start of the second quarter, the Clippers put things away with a 13-1 run. Phanor made a steal and scored to make it 37-17, and Landry capped the spurt with drive through the lane to make it 41-18.

The halftime score was 48-25. The Spartans scored five quick points to open the second half, prompting Mulvey to spend a time-out 48 seconds in, but Phanor hit a three right after that and the mild drama was killed.

“They’re good,” said Milford coach Dan Murray, whose 2011 team beat Portsmouth in the Division II championship game but has turned over completely since then. “They move the ball well. They’ve got shooters. But defensively, we took a step back tonight. … We’re a better defensive team than we showed.”

The Clippers made 7-of-15 from 3-point range, often passing up semi-open tries for penetration and shorter jumpers. They were 1-of-17 from deep in Friday’s 57-41 win over St. Thomas.

“You saw what we were the other night,” said Mulvey. “You can’t live and die like that. … One of the (assistant) coaches at halftime said every time we make five or six passes, something good happens.”

The Spartans, who got eight points apiece from guard Ross Briggs and forward Evan Perron, were playing without Wayne O’Brien, their top player, who’s still another week or so away from returning from injury. In addition, guard Harrison Urda picked up two fouls in the opening 97 seconds and spent long stretches on the bench.

“(Urda) runs the offense for us,” said Murray. “But we’ve got to learn to use both sides of the floor, ball reversal. We mentally freeze.”

The Clippers, meanwhile, will go from a cold opponent to a hot Friday match-up.

“We’re in for a good one,” said Phanor. “Although this was a pretty good win, it’s not going to beat Hollis-Brookline.”

The coach’s eye also found things to dwell on — the ball sharing in the first quarter, even as it produced 28 points, plus some paint defense. All were filed away for the rest of the week.

“I know it was a blowout,” said Mulvey, “but it seems we have a lot to work on.”